Cultural Bias

Question 1

What are the sections used to explain Culture Bias?

Answer 1

• Cross-cultural Studies (+ve and -ve)
• Is it due to difference or bias?
• Ethnocentrism = Cultural Relativism
• Historical and Social Context

Question 2

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of cross-cultural studies

Answer 2

• lots of studies conducted across many different cultures - help to decide if a behaviour is innate or developed.
  -Tronick - African Tribe who lived in large family groups - infants looked after by many women but slept with mother
  Child only showed one primary attachment towards own mother
• Fox - Israeli children spent most their time being looked after in a children’s home. Attachment tested by the Strange Situation - equally attached to both carers - more attached to their mother
• Researchers don’t always understand the local culture
• Situations may not be relevant to all cultures
• Assumption that situations will be the same = imposed etic
• Grossman and Grossman - German infants more insecurely attached
  German culture involves parents and children to keep a personal distance
• Takahashi - ‘Strange Situation’ to test the attachment of Japanese infants
  No signs of insecure-avoidant attachment, but high rates of insecure-resistant
  Many signs of distress - children rarely experienced separation - making them seem insecurely attached based on western culture

Question 3

Explain the idea difference or bias for cultural bias

Answer 3

• People confuse differences with bias
• Myers and Diener - individualist cultures report higher SWB than collectivist
• Psychologists are interested in how researchers use own norms to dictate their study
• Levels of SWB categorised due to the cultural bias - may be why the collectivist cultures may appear different
  ‘Difference’ is only shown by the methods used - may be biased

Question 4

Explain Ethnocentrism

Answer 4

• Ethnocentrism is the judgment of other groups
• judgement minimised to increase the reliability of research
• 2 types of bias: Alpha bias and beta bias Alpha bias = there are differences between cultures
  Beta bias = there is no difference between each culture
• Opposite = Cultural Relativism - all cultures deserve equal respect - should fully understand that culture and the way they see the world
• Cultural relativism - lead to alpha and beta bias
  Alpha bias = psychologists to overlook the universal differences
• Beta bias = seen when describing mental disorders - e.g. schizophrenia
  Hearing voices is seen to be normal - western researchers misdiagnose people as Schizo when they are not - assumption of no difference

Question 5

Explain the historical and social context of culture bias

Answer 5

• idea of cultures isn’t just different for each country
  SUB-CULTURES
• Many sub-cultures
  Don’t share same geographical location but share the same set of beliefs
• Time period that people have been grow up with can change views - e.g. Bowlby study not applicable today - more time on emotional well-being

Question 6

What is a culture?

Answer 6

• Rules and morals that bind members of society
• Occurs when people assume the behaviour of another culture based on their own norms
• Seen when a behaviour is seen in one culture and assumes that it is generalisable